As is the case with any technology, MFPs routinely malfunction at inopportune moments. Just when you’re going to scan a critical document on your MFP, you encounter the inconvenience of a scanner that isn’t operating as intended.
While Canon is the industry leader in high-quality, affordable scanning multifunction printers, it’s not uncommon for your Canon scanner to experience issues for a variety of reasons.
What Is Causing Your Canon Scanner to Fail?
While troubleshooting your Canon scanner is rather straightforward, one of the following may be the reason of your problem:
- To begin, restart your computer and turn off your scanner for several minutes before reactivating it. This addresses many more computer and gadget issues than you may believe.
- Apart from turning off the scanner, disconnect the power cord – this does a more comprehensive hardware reset.
- If you purchased a new Canon scanner, it may be incompatible with your operating system (OS), which may be an older version of Windows, such as Windows XP, or – more recently – even Windows 7.
- Connectivity may be an issue – take care to secure any cables, such as a USB connection.
- If you’re using a wireless connection, ensure that your Canon scanner is linked to your WiFi – a communication indication should display on the scanner panel.
- The device driver for your Canon scanner may be out of date – or possibly missing entirely.
- Device drivers might get corrupted, preventing your scanner from functioning properly.
- Your system may have been compromised by malware or viruses, resulting in a number of negative outcomes, including device failure.
How to Troubleshoot a Windows Device?
Windows includes a variety of troubleshooting tools that might aid you if your Canon scanner does not scan properly.
- Type “troubleshoot” into the search window, and then choose your printer from the troubleshooter options:
- The Windows troubleshooter will guide you through the steps necessary to ascertain the cause of your Canon scanner’s failure to function.
- In order to run the troubleshooter, click the button on the screen.
Do not despair if Windows is unable to discover and resolve your issue. You still have further options.
Updating the Canon Scanner Driver
Numerous Canon customers reported that updating the scanner’s driver resolved difficulties with the device when used with Windows 10. There are various options for upgrading your scanner’s driver:
Make use of Windows Update
In the search field, type “Windows Update” and click on the Windows Update programme:
- The Check for updates button in Windows Update may be accessed by clicking on it.
Utilise Device Manager to Verify the Software for Your Canon Scanner
- Alternatively to using Windows Update, you may use Device Manager to verify that the driver for a specific device, such as your Canon scanner, is up to date.
- Open Device Management by first entering “device manager” into the Windows search bar.
- When the device list appears, locate your Canon scanner.Select the appropriate device, then right-click and select Update Driver Software.
- You will be given the option of either automatically searching for the necessary driver or going to a spot on your computer where you know the application is stored. To do an automated search, select this option. This informs Windows to do a driver search in the Microsoft software registry for the most compatible driver for your device.
- The difficulty with using Windows Update or Device Manager to get the best driver for your Canon scanner is that the vendor’s current driver may not have been registered with Microsoft yet.
Conducting a Website Search for the Manufacturer
Another option for addressing problems with your Canon scanner is to contact Canon directly. You can find a phone number for support contacts online or in the instructions for your scanner, or you may search for driver information on the company’s assistance website. Naturally, you’ll need to provide the model and serial number of your device, as well as the operating system version and update level. It could be a realistic choice if all other possibilities have been exhausted.
Additional Steps to Take If Your Canon Scanner Isn’t Working
If your system has an anti-virus function (which it should), check that the detection database or definitions for the programme are updated. Following that, conduct a thorough scan of your system. This will discover and hopefully remove any undesirable components on your platform that may be causing problems or are secretly preparing to wreak havoc on your PC in the future.
- If you are connecting your Canon scanner using a USB cable, try a different cable or even a different USB port.
- Contamination of the scanner glass should be checked – a filthy or otherwise contaminated surface may create scanning difficulties. The owner’s manual includes instructions for cleaning the glass without damaging the surface.
- Ascertain that no error messages indicating a hardware failure are shown on the scanner panel.
- If your Canon scanner does not work correctly when linked to a laptop, try the following:
Type “power saver” into the Windows search box, then pick the “Choose a power plan” option.
- Select Power Saver, followed by Choose a power plan.
- Select the option for Power Saver.
If You Desire a More Simple Method
Problems with drivers are not exclusive to your Canon scanner. Additionally, your computer may have out-of-date or missing drivers, which will cause future problems or may be the source of other issues. By subscribing to an automatic driver scanning and updating service, you may save time and frustration diagnosing device issues manually. The following are some of the issues connected with manually updating drivers:
- The time spent identifying suitable drivers may be considerable.
- Installing the wrong driver might be more damaging than installing the current driver.
- Downloading drivers from many sources might be confusing, especially with so many options.
- You may be apprehensive to upgrade your system’s drivers from a technical standpoint.